Love this read of these voices in their astro-social context, and your own memories of the zeitgeist. And appreciate all these musical notes- I know what I’m listening to today!
Stop it Drey! Goddamn. I just fell out of my chair –– thirteen times –– surely that's an initiatory series that rearranged your brain and heart cells forever.
I got lucky and saw Laura ONCE in Santa Monica. She was gigantically pregnant, dressed in scarlet red with black hair down past her lumbar. I've never since witnessed a massive audience remain so still and silent through a concert –– until they applauded. OMG.
I adore Carole and Joni but Laura is my shape-shifting muse, like one of those Rumi water fountains that self-replenishes and never runs dry.
I played the song New York Tendaberry this morning and then had to go and read Mary Oliver for half an hour. Laura shoves us deep into poetry's vector –– there's no other force like that her in the musical universe.
this is one of your best yet. As we share the same age, place and culture, this brings back not only the songs but the scents and cadence of the time. thank you for this gorgeous piece. xo
Oh yes! I still consider 'our' generation one of the luckiest -- given the mindblowing music we steeped in. Not to sound grandpaw-ish but the majority of the music I hear today makes me sad. Thuddish, derivative, computer-generated, -- goddess love those folks who are trying -- but -- oy. (It's all very Neptune in Pisces where the muses have retreated to gather up their energy for the planet's ingress into Aries) :-)
i was an usher at the santa monica civic from age 14-19. we got paid 5 bucksa show, sat right in front, met the musicians who came to play. it was crazy,can you imagine! we saw everyone, i could write a book about those days.
Carole and Joni and Laura. The goddess trinity of female songwriters and singers of my youth. Songs still remembered, somehow still relevant and stood the tear of time. The songs that helped craft us and were the backdrop of everything from slumber parties to make out sessions to quiet nights if teen age angst. Wouldn’t change a thing nor have chosen to grow up in a different time. So grateful Frederick for you to have led me down this lovely lane of thoughts and memories.
I think you should be writing for The New Yorker; Alex Ross and Hilton Als have nothing on you. The interface of your personal history, astrology, contemporary culture, and your euphonious passions bring it all home in the best way. Keep it up!
Cynthia –– appreciate the applause. What writer wouldn't wish to write ... for the New Yorker (damn I had to break my iteration run :-) Thank you much lady.
So true... these women were composer’s! We were so lucky to live as young with the greatest music of all time..no comparison. Laura and Joni were my high school..The genius of these two is timeless...you know what I mean. Thank you for articulating your feelings then, as it relates to so many in our group. Years ago my friend and concert promoter invited Laura to Boulder twice. The first at the outdoor Mary Rippon theater on the CU campus.
After the concert Nona said that I could go into the dressing room and say a few words to Laura. I turned down the opportunity because of nerves, anxiety, stupidity. or maybe because I have Saturn conjunct my ascendant in Libra.
You know that is probably the right decision –– Saturn knows best. I mean, you didn't disturb the mystical connection with the artist that 'meeting' the human being would have wobbled. Look for the Youtube video where Todd Rundgren talks about meeting Laura, which will give you a bit of insight into her personal presence.
This was such a poignant, brilliant piece, Frederick -- I am with you on all counts, and being of that very same space/time generation, I experienced so much that you have delineated here it's quite remarkable. But then those years were remarkable, and in multiple ways. And the response to the era likewise was personal, in ways we also cannot ever hope to capture. But if I may say, you have surely *nearly* got the genie back into the bottle with this one - I have not heard the zeitgeist expressed so luminously & lovingly in some time. So hats off, and hearts full-- many thanks for all the beauty & the truth.
I wonder if everyone thinks the times he or she lived through –– when youth was giving way to claiming one's identity –– were remarkable. Comparatively, I think not. Especially as relates to the liberal arts. I've written about pop music now for over 30 years (thus I listen constantly to every new release scanning for gold) and nothing compares to that particular time and space –– I have to go back to astrology to 'explain' the magic. That conjunction in Virgo –– the Mercurial essence (of which music as communication is one)––we haven't lived through anything since. More to say on this –– perhaps in another post. Thank you Kristin for your comments and memories.
Cheers, Frederick, spot on. What a legacy. I can't agree with you more re. 'the magical essence' which the music of that era brought through the ethers -- I too have long sought to discover something/anything which might yet deliver as much joy/truth/intensity as that of those fruitful golden years, but so far continue to wait in vain. It is just fascinating how the astrology 'speaks' to/of that ineffable moment in time, thus I do wonder (with hope) if we can see another such 'confluence' arising in the astrological charts of days still to come? Will look forward to any and all you have to say again on this subject, no question, Frederick! Sincere thanks.
Fredrick❣️ You've managed to capture the zeitgeist of those precious times. Laura, Joni n Carol r on my morning playlist today n I’m trippin back!! So many images, threads n memories you’ve managed to conjure. Pure Magic. 🙏🏽❣️🌔☘️💯🌟.
What a magical playlist! I went back to Hissing of Summer Lawns and was honestly gobsmacked hearing The Jungle Line again — that was 15 years before people had even invented the word ‘sampling’ — she’s peerless. (Uhm, we’ll there was Laura).
Intriguing take on Tapestry. I will have to relisten to it. I must admit I have never listened to Nyro's recordings. It is time too do that. You suggest no astrologers have fully gotten the importance of the Pluto-Uranus conjun ction. Check out Phillip Lindsay at esotericastrologer.org. indeed check out the field of Esoteric Astrology somtimes called Soul Centered Astrology. Alan Oken is another person to look into. Both he and Phillip put out monthly newsletters.
Actually, what I wrote was: "I still contend astrologers haven’t really cracked the Sphinx-like Virgo codes related to that powerful late-60s conjunction..." I've read scores of pieces on the 60s conjunction, and written several myself -- but themes related to the feminine haven't been explored in a satisfactory way.
I'm familiar with esoteric astrology, but not drawn to its moralistic divisions of high/low, spirit/matter, rays and beams. I studied Bailey for ages and found it novel, like an acid trip, but of no relevance to the nuts and bolts of my life.
My approach is more Taoist –– based on not knowing and waiting to see what reality reveals moment by moment. This is also how I work with my clients. But thank you for offering the link, etc. (And I know Alan from waaaaaaay back in my Hawai'i days)...:-)
Yeah, Court and Spark just blew everything wide open. If you love 'music journalism' as I do, grab a copy of Sean Nelson's book on C&S -- it'll make you savor everything all over again. Song by song. His takes are brill https://amzn.to/3oJsWgK
Love this read of these voices in their astro-social context, and your own memories of the zeitgeist. And appreciate all these musical notes- I know what I’m listening to today!
Oh, that's appreciated, Sarah. Thank you.
Incredible insight and writing!!!
I was lucky to see Laura Nyro 13 times when in high school at the Troubadour
Stop it Drey! Goddamn. I just fell out of my chair –– thirteen times –– surely that's an initiatory series that rearranged your brain and heart cells forever.
I got lucky and saw Laura ONCE in Santa Monica. She was gigantically pregnant, dressed in scarlet red with black hair down past her lumbar. I've never since witnessed a massive audience remain so still and silent through a concert –– until they applauded. OMG.
I adore Carole and Joni but Laura is my shape-shifting muse, like one of those Rumi water fountains that self-replenishes and never runs dry.
I played the song New York Tendaberry this morning and then had to go and read Mary Oliver for half an hour. Laura shoves us deep into poetry's vector –– there's no other force like that her in the musical universe.
I love your writing! This was a rich journey I shall revisit. Thank you!
Thank you Mary Beth! Sweet.
this is one of your best yet. As we share the same age, place and culture, this brings back not only the songs but the scents and cadence of the time. thank you for this gorgeous piece. xo
Oh yes! I still consider 'our' generation one of the luckiest -- given the mindblowing music we steeped in. Not to sound grandpaw-ish but the majority of the music I hear today makes me sad. Thuddish, derivative, computer-generated, -- goddess love those folks who are trying -- but -- oy. (It's all very Neptune in Pisces where the muses have retreated to gather up their energy for the planet's ingress into Aries) :-)
i was an usher at the santa monica civic from age 14-19. we got paid 5 bucksa show, sat right in front, met the musicians who came to play. it was crazy,can you imagine! we saw everyone, i could write a book about those days.
Carole and Joni and Laura. The goddess trinity of female songwriters and singers of my youth. Songs still remembered, somehow still relevant and stood the tear of time. The songs that helped craft us and were the backdrop of everything from slumber parties to make out sessions to quiet nights if teen age angst. Wouldn’t change a thing nor have chosen to grow up in a different time. So grateful Frederick for you to have led me down this lovely lane of thoughts and memories.
Truly a goddess trinity. Yes. Thank you Denise.
I think you should be writing for The New Yorker; Alex Ross and Hilton Als have nothing on you. The interface of your personal history, astrology, contemporary culture, and your euphonious passions bring it all home in the best way. Keep it up!
Cynthia –– appreciate the applause. What writer wouldn't wish to write ... for the New Yorker (damn I had to break my iteration run :-) Thank you much lady.
So true... these women were composer’s! We were so lucky to live as young with the greatest music of all time..no comparison. Laura and Joni were my high school..The genius of these two is timeless...you know what I mean. Thank you for articulating your feelings then, as it relates to so many in our group. Years ago my friend and concert promoter invited Laura to Boulder twice. The first at the outdoor Mary Rippon theater on the CU campus.
After the concert Nona said that I could go into the dressing room and say a few words to Laura. I turned down the opportunity because of nerves, anxiety, stupidity. or maybe because I have Saturn conjunct my ascendant in Libra.
(Lol).
You know that is probably the right decision –– Saturn knows best. I mean, you didn't disturb the mystical connection with the artist that 'meeting' the human being would have wobbled. Look for the Youtube video where Todd Rundgren talks about meeting Laura, which will give you a bit of insight into her personal presence.
This was such a poignant, brilliant piece, Frederick -- I am with you on all counts, and being of that very same space/time generation, I experienced so much that you have delineated here it's quite remarkable. But then those years were remarkable, and in multiple ways. And the response to the era likewise was personal, in ways we also cannot ever hope to capture. But if I may say, you have surely *nearly* got the genie back into the bottle with this one - I have not heard the zeitgeist expressed so luminously & lovingly in some time. So hats off, and hearts full-- many thanks for all the beauty & the truth.
I wonder if everyone thinks the times he or she lived through –– when youth was giving way to claiming one's identity –– were remarkable. Comparatively, I think not. Especially as relates to the liberal arts. I've written about pop music now for over 30 years (thus I listen constantly to every new release scanning for gold) and nothing compares to that particular time and space –– I have to go back to astrology to 'explain' the magic. That conjunction in Virgo –– the Mercurial essence (of which music as communication is one)––we haven't lived through anything since. More to say on this –– perhaps in another post. Thank you Kristin for your comments and memories.
Cheers, Frederick, spot on. What a legacy. I can't agree with you more re. 'the magical essence' which the music of that era brought through the ethers -- I too have long sought to discover something/anything which might yet deliver as much joy/truth/intensity as that of those fruitful golden years, but so far continue to wait in vain. It is just fascinating how the astrology 'speaks' to/of that ineffable moment in time, thus I do wonder (with hope) if we can see another such 'confluence' arising in the astrological charts of days still to come? Will look forward to any and all you have to say again on this subject, no question, Frederick! Sincere thanks.
Very well written & thank you
My pleasure Nancy. Thank you for your note!
Fredrick❣️ You've managed to capture the zeitgeist of those precious times. Laura, Joni n Carol r on my morning playlist today n I’m trippin back!! So many images, threads n memories you’ve managed to conjure. Pure Magic. 🙏🏽❣️🌔☘️💯🌟.
What a magical playlist! I went back to Hissing of Summer Lawns and was honestly gobsmacked hearing The Jungle Line again — that was 15 years before people had even invented the word ‘sampling’ — she’s peerless. (Uhm, we’ll there was Laura).
Thanks Marlene!
Intriguing take on Tapestry. I will have to relisten to it. I must admit I have never listened to Nyro's recordings. It is time too do that. You suggest no astrologers have fully gotten the importance of the Pluto-Uranus conjun ction. Check out Phillip Lindsay at esotericastrologer.org. indeed check out the field of Esoteric Astrology somtimes called Soul Centered Astrology. Alan Oken is another person to look into. Both he and Phillip put out monthly newsletters.
Actually, what I wrote was: "I still contend astrologers haven’t really cracked the Sphinx-like Virgo codes related to that powerful late-60s conjunction..." I've read scores of pieces on the 60s conjunction, and written several myself -- but themes related to the feminine haven't been explored in a satisfactory way.
I'm familiar with esoteric astrology, but not drawn to its moralistic divisions of high/low, spirit/matter, rays and beams. I studied Bailey for ages and found it novel, like an acid trip, but of no relevance to the nuts and bolts of my life.
My approach is more Taoist –– based on not knowing and waiting to see what reality reveals moment by moment. This is also how I work with my clients. But thank you for offering the link, etc. (And I know Alan from waaaaaaay back in my Hawai'i days)...:-)
Enjoy Laura!
Great! Thanks for being the right age. I had a long distance from Joni too, until Court and Spark, and then it all worked for me.
Yeah, Court and Spark just blew everything wide open. If you love 'music journalism' as I do, grab a copy of Sean Nelson's book on C&S -- it'll make you savor everything all over again. Song by song. His takes are brill https://amzn.to/3oJsWgK
I sooo enjoyed this...awww the memories...you are definitely doin what was meant for you to do...you're awesome...keep doin it!!!
Thank you Christi! And backatcha: You're awesome too 😉